Panthers fall to Ashland Blazer in opening round of Sweet Sixteen
April 2, 2021
LEXINGTON — Ashland extended its win streak to 12 games after having an easier time than expected against 13th Region champion Knox Central.
The Tomcats held the Panthers without a field goal until the 7:03 mark of the second quarter, and by that time Ashland was well on its way to a victory, beating Knox Central 56-38.
Colin Porter led Ashland with 17 points while Cole Villers finished with 14 points. The Tomcats finished the game 20-of-45 from the floor while forcing the Panthers into 14 turnovers.
Knox Central senior Jevonte Turner led all scorers with 20 points while the Panthers finished with a 14-of-38 shooting effort.
Knox Central came out with first-quarter jitters, misfiring on all nine of its shot attempts while turning the ball over six times. The Panthers’ lone points came from Chadwell’s two made free throws with 1:17 left in the period.
Villers and Sellars each scored four points apiece to give Ashland a 10-2 lead going into the second quarter.
Ashland continued to dominate in the second quarter, outscoring Knox Central 20-8 to take a 30-10 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The Panthers didn’t hit their first field goal of the game until the 7:03 mark of the second quarter. They turned the ball over 12 times, leading to 15 Tomcat points.
Knox Central shot 3-of-15 from the floor while Ashland connected on 13-of-27 shot attempts despite seeing Sellars miss most of the first half due to picking up three fouls.
The Panthers opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run, cutting their deficit to 30-17 with 5:11 remaining in the period. But the Tomcats responded with a 10-2 run to close out the quarter, and led 40-19 after a 3-pointer by Villers.
Knox Central got as close as 14 points (50-36) before the Tomcats sealed the win.
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Ashland 56, Knox Central 38
Ashland (56) — Porter 17, Sellars 2, Villers 14, Carter 4, Atkins 7, Gillium 9, Adkins 3.
Knox Central (38) — J. Turner 20, Sizemore 3, Mills 7, Chadwell 4, Turner 2, Mills 2.
Ashland 10 20 10 16 56
Knox Central 2 8 9 19 38
